


Fever

by orphan_account



Series: CHALLENGE: Quote Prompts [2]
Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF, Valdaya
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-04-06
Packaged: 2018-03-21 13:18:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3693710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zendaya goes to the rehearsal space with Maks to visit Val and Rumer. She becomes concerned when he doesn’t seem to be feeling any better, despite the fact that he had told her just that morning that his cold was going away.</p><p>My second fic (of fifty) for the Quote Prompt Challenge. This is #31: “You lied to me.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fever

**Author's Note:**

> This is fiction, not reality.

She couldn’t believe that she had just met PattiLaBelle.   _The_ Patti LaBelle.  She was aclassic, a legend.  And Zendaya had just shook her hand.  

“You’re never going to wash that hand again, are you?” Val teased, looking back at her over his shoulder.  

“Shut up,” Zendaya answered, rolling her eyes.  

Val’s eyes sparkled with mirth.  He opened his mouth to reply, but a cough escaped instead of playful words.  It racked his body, forcing him stop walking for a second to catch his breath.  Maks glanced over at Val, scrutinizing his brother as their group waited for him.  Zendaya looked over at Rumer; the fact that she didn’t look as anxious as Zendaya felt told her that he had been coughing like for the last few days.  Just that morning Val had told her that he was feeling better, but she was suddenly questioning that.  

A few seconds later Val straightened up and continued down the hall.  

“Are you okay?” Zendaya asked.  

“I’m fine, babe.” He smiled back at her over his shoulder, trying to ease the concern that he probably detected in her voice.  Maks reached out and swung an arm around him, propelling Val down the hallway.  She felt a reassuring touch on her own arm and glanced over to see Rumer watching her carefully.  Apparently Val wasn’t the only one who could detect how worried she was.  Zendaya smiled over at her in thanks before they entered the rehearsal space.  

Maks and Val discussed something with a producer while Rumer walked her bag over to the bottom step, pulled out her heels, and sat down.  She asked Zendaya about her work on K.C. Undercover as she slid them on her feet and buckled the straps.  Maks and Val joined them, sitting down while they put on their own shoes.

“So where did you want to start, bratishka?” Maks asked.  

“I wanted to work with her on –

Another harsh cough interrupted Val’s words.  One of his hands clutched at his chest, making it seem incredibly painful for him. His cheeks were flushed, his skin redder than usual, which concerned her even more.

She got to her feet and walked over to him, stepping down onto the floor so that she could see his face better.  He was still working on catching his breath when she bent down in front of him and pressed the back of her hand to his forehead.  It was hot, a telling symptom of a fever.  

“You said you were feeling better,” she accused.  

“I –

“You liedto me.”

“To be fair, I was still in bed when I was texting you so I  _did_ feel somewhat better at that point.”

“But you don’t now.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.  

He opened his emerald eyes and she could see the misery and exhaustion written on his face.

“Baby, why didn’t you tell me?” she asked softly, cupping his face with her hands.  She wanted to soothe him, to make him feel better in any way that she could.  He reached up and placed a hand over one of hers, linking their fingers.  

“I’ll be alright.”

“But –

“You know how the season works, Z.  I can’t take time off just because I’m sick, just like you couldn’t.  I don’t want to let Rumer down any more than you were willing to let me down.”

She nodded her understanding, but she wasn’t happy about it.  He kissed her palm before releasing her hand and getting to her feet.

“You ready to go, Rue?” he asked.  

“Yeah,” she answered instantly, getting to her feet.  They walked to the middle of the floor and started stretching.  

“He wouldn’t let me do anything for him this morning,” Maks murmured as he watched them. “You know how he is…stubborn ass.”

Zendaya couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her.  “Like you aren’t the exact same way.”  Maks shrugged indifferently and looked over at her. Making a decision, Zendaya got to her feet.  

“I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” he asked.  

She didn’t respond, just crossed the floor to the door and entered the hallway.  The kitchen was a few doors down and she knew that Emma usually stocked some tea in the cupboard.  Due to all of the time that she had spent in the studio, she knew exactly where everything was.  She quickly heated water and rummaged through the multiple boxes of tea bags until she found the kind that she knew Val liked.  Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, she poured in the water and submerged the bag before returning to the room.  

Rumer and Val were walking through their cha cha, Maks watching from where she had left him. She knew that he would be content to keep his opinion to himself until Val asked for it.  Val coughed again, his hand returning to his chest as he tried to breathe.  Walking over to him, she took his free hand and wrapped it around the mug.  

“Here,” she said.

“Z –

“Drink.”

His gaze met hers and, knowing that it would make her feel better just as much as it would help his own throat, he did as he was told.


End file.
